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Richard Louv’s Well-Being Rx: Reconnect with Nature
by April Thompson I
f it’s true that people are self-interested crea- tures at heart, journal-
ist Richard Louv has a message for humankind: Think not only what we can do for nature, but what nature can do for us.
Louv’s seminal
book, Last Child in the Woods, launched a na-
tional dialogue about the disconnection between children and nature, a state he calls nature-deficit disorder. Now, in The Nature Principle, Louv vividly portrays how a nature-infused lifestyle can enhance the quality of our health and relationships, benefiting every facet of experience. He asserts that the more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need, and offers a roadmap to a future that incorporates nature into every aspect of our lives, from our homes to our workplaces. The recipient of the 2008 Audu- bon Medal, Louv is the author of eight books and the founder of the Children & Nature Network.
You cite many instances of nature’s power to heal and restore us mentally, emotionally, physically and even intellectually. How does science account for this?
Healers have known about the impor- tance of nature to our health and well- being for thousands of years, but only in recent years have scientists begun to
NaturalNewHaven.com
study the benefits of what I call, “vitamin N.” Still, the preliminary research indicates overwhelmingly positive correlations be- tween human health and intelligence and nature. For example, a Uni-
versity of Illinois study of urban children with attention deficit disorder found that even a little
exposure to nature can have a positive effect on ADD. Several other studies indicate that walking in natural areas improves our mental and physical health. Researchers from Sweden and England that compared exercising in in- door and outdoor settings learned that expending the same amount of energy in these different environments provides different results, with green exercise offering added value. Science can’t yet tell us the causes and mechanisms behind these correlations, yet we know enough to act. Technology permeates every as-
pect of our lives today. A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that American youth spend an average of 53 hours a week using entertainment media. So we have to consciously bring more nature into our lives—not just to escape tech- nology’s documented negative effects, but also to access the positive benefits that nature provides. It’s not a case of nature versus
technology, however; it’s a matter of balance. The “hybrid mind” can access the benefits of both, facilitating skills in big-picture thinking.
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